His father was former New York Giants quarterback and current CBS analyst Phil Simms. His son probably didn’t arrive at the Forty Acres with any real concerns about his finances, along with the benefits of a football scholarship.

But during his playing career with UT from 1999-2002, Simms hinted earlier today on a national radio show that he and other former Longhorn players might have received extra benefits above the value of his scholarship.

While appearing this morning on the CBSSports national radio show Tiki and Tierney, Simms said extra money was available for Longhorn athletes when he played there.

“They didn’t pay me, but there may have been cash going around to some other players,” Simms said. “I’m not going to deny that. I may have gotten a few $100 handshakes every now and then to sign some autographs for alumni.

“I don’t care how rich your upbringing was. Yes, I grew up with a silver spoon, but if you give me a few extra $100 as a college kid, that’s great.”

Simms later followed his father into the NFL, playing five seasons with Tampa Bay, Denver and Tennessee before retiring to similarly become a television analyst. He was always a stand-up guy when he played with the Longhorns — although he was sheltered by Coach Mack Brown during his competition with Major Applewhite for the Longhorns’ starting quarterback job.

It’s good he’s finally coming correct about his earlier transgressions, although the NCAA’s new Cost of Attendance benefits likely would have taken care of these concerns if it had been available during his playing career.

]]>UT to begin selling beer and wine for games at DKR starting with home openerhttps://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/2015/06/ut-to-begin-selling-beer-and-wine-for-games-at-dkr-starting-with-home-opener/
Wed, 17 Jun 2015 20:48:38 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/?p=2491Texas fans will have the opportunity to buy a cold one at Longhorns football games at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium beginning with the Sept. 12 home opener with Rice.

School officials have been seeking this opportunity for many years, but it has traditionally been blocked by the UT System. UT chancellor Bill McRaven gave his approval earlier this week.

UT becomes the third UT System school to begin selling beer at their home football games. UTSA and UTEP have both sold beer at the Alamodome and Sun Bowl, respectively. And UT-Arlington has sold adult beverages at the school’s sports events.

The Longhorns will become the third team to sell beer at their home games, joining Kansas State and West Virginia. Other in-state institutions offering similar service are the North Texas, SMU and Houston.

The new policy for home football games comes after a lengthy pilot program conducted at other Texas sports events since early last year. The UT athletic department, the school’s police department and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and licensed vendor Sodexo Sports and Leisure all have evaluated and endorsed the effectiveness and safety of the trial.

The groups all determined the service should be expanded to include all football public areas since the outcome was positive from a safety, community impact and fan experience standpoint.

“Fan safety and enjoyment remains our number one priority as we work through the process of expanding beer and wine sales into all seating areas of the stadium,” UT athletic director Steve Patterson said. “During our extensive pilot, we found fans and staff handled the situation responsibly and we had no negative issues or situations. We will continue to monitor the service closely.”

The announcement is coming as the Longhorns approach the upcoming season with the least excitement than any in recent memory.

Selling beer might pump some much-needed enthusiasm into the fans at the mammoth stadium.

And considering their early expectations, they might need it.

]]>Fenves orders query of academic support system after men’s hoop allegationshttps://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/2015/06/ut-president-orders-query-of-academic-support-system-after-mens-hoop-allegations/
Tue, 16 Jun 2015 15:38:43 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/?p=2484New University of Texas president Greg Fenves has ordered an independent review of the school’s academic support system for athletics after allegations made in a story last week by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Fenves said the review will be directed by attorney Gene Marsh, who previously spent nine years on the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions and is widely respected in investigating these charges.

Marsh is a member of the law firm Jackson Lewis PC in Birmingham, Alabama, and has worked on issues surrounding college athletics for 20 years. A professor emeritus at the University of Alabama’s School of Law, he served as the Alabama’s faculty athletics representative to the Southeastern Conference and the NCAA from 1996 through 2003.

Fenves announced his plans during a teleconference Tuesday morning. It comes after allegations involving the UT men’s basketball program under the direction of former coach Rick Barnes and players Martez Walker, J’Covan Brown and P.J. Tucker.

The investigation was not motivated by any individual, Fenves said. Later, he said that “everything is fine” in UT’s academic services.

“Academic integrity is the core of everything we do at the University of Texas,” Fenves said. “As the new president, that commitment motivated me to decide to pursue a review so that I understand how things can be done better in the athletic department … to be sure that we are as strong as possible in supporting our students as a university.”

UT athletic director Steve Patterson said he supports the investigation.

“From the men’s athletic side, we welcome this review by Gene Marsh,” said Patterson, who insisted that Barnes’ departure “had nothing to do with academics.”

Check back later in the day at Mysa.com for more information on this story.

]]>Barnes said he never thought he was on the hot seathttps://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/2014/03/barnes-said-he-never-thought-he-was-on-the-hot-seat/
Wed, 12 Mar 2014 21:24:07 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/?p=2100KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Texas coach Rick Barnes had no direct comment on recent reports that UT athletic director Steve Patterson would grant him another year coaching the Longhorns.

Barnes said that he didn’t think or had heard his job was in jeopardy after a 16-18 season in 2012-13 where they failed to make the NCAA tournament after 14 consecutive trips with Barnes.

“Like I said before, nobody had ever told me I was on the hot seat,” Barnes said. “I trust the people at Texas that if they felt like … first of all they’ll never tell me when it’s time to go … I’ll know.”

Barnes earned Big 12 Coach of the Year honors from his peers after directing the Longhorns to a 22-9 record, including an 11-7 mark in conference play that was tied for third place.

“I’m excited about these guys and never wanted the story to be about me,” Barnes said.

Barnes, who turns 60 in July, understands the mortality of the coaching after watching icons like Dean Smith, John Wooden and Bob Knight leave the profession.

“I know this, I’ve been around long enough to know that when my time is up at Texas, and I know it will be, I’ll look back and know I’ve been extremely blessed to be at the University of Texas and in this profession as long as I have been.”

After watching Larry Brown’s success this season at SMU at the age of 73, Barnes isn’t ready to commit that long to maintaining his career.

“The day when I go to the gym and don’t enjoy coaching, that’s when it’s time to quit,” Barnes said. “I do love being in the gym. I love being around players who want to work and get better. When I lose that, that’s when I know it’s time.”

Several sources indicate that Diaz took the Louisiana Tech job in order to remain a defensive coordinator. He reportedly had several offers from larger schools as a position coach.

Diaz, 39, was fired as the Longhorns’ defensive coordinator by former UT coach Mack Brown the day after after the Longhorns were gashed for a program-record 550 rushing yards in their 40-21 loss to BYU. He was replaced by Greg Robinson after Brown described Diaz’s efforts as “unacceptable.”

Diaz was hired by Brown before the 2011 season after one season at Mississippi State and four seasons at Middle Tennessee State.

Despite Diaz’s struggles last season, Holtz was delighted about what Diaz will bring to the Bulldogs.

“I am very excited Manny Diaz is joining our staff,” Holtz said. “He brings great experiences with a lot of success at a lot of different stops. He brings excitement, a passion for the game, plenty of experience and a reputation for success that precedes him. I look forward to working with him and welcome him to the Louisiana Tech family.”

Diaz inherits a defense that was the fourth most-improved unit in the country. Louisiana Tech ranked 63rd in the nation in total defense in 2013, allowing an average of 408.2 yards per game.

He has an interesting background before beginning his coaching career. Diaz’s father is former Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz. And he worked at ESPN from 1995 to 1997 after earning his B.S. in communications from Florida State. He left the network to begin his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Mickey Andrews.

Some UT fans might be surprised that Diaz resurfaced so quickly. But his blitz-happy defense resonated with some coaches, paving the way for his hiring at Louisiana Tech.

]]>Valero Alamo Bowl halftime report: Oregon 20, Texas 7https://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/2013/12/valero-alamo-bowl-halftime-report-oregon-20-texas-7/
Tue, 31 Dec 2013 01:33:08 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/?p=1896Oregon’s vaunted ground game has dominated Texas in the trenches as the Ducks have charged to a 20-7 halftime lead over the Longhorns in the Valero Alamo Bowl.

The Ducks have rolled up 166 rushing yards as they’ve shown the form that kept them in the top 10 for most of the season.

Tough inside running by Malcolm Brown has been the Longhorns’ biggest offensive weapon. Brown has rushed for 113 yards on 18 carries in his best Earl Campbell impression. UT was most successful when Brown was gaining yardage on first down and keeping Case McCoy from long-yardage passing situations.

UT’s struggles started early when Oregon free safety Avery Patterson intercepted McCoy and returned the pick 37 yards for a touchdown 68 seconds into the game.

Oregon extended the lead later in the first quarter when Matt Wogan tacked on a 25-yard field goal.

The Longhorns answered with their best drive of the first half on a 16-play, 79-yard scoring drive that consumed 7:12 late in the first quarter. McCoy did the honors on a 1-yard keeper with 1:24 left in the first quarter.

Wogan answered with a 32-yard field goal to extend Oregon’s lead to 13-7.

Both defenses stiffened until Oregon marched 88 yards on seven plays on a scoring drive capped by a 16-yard scoring pass from Marcus Mariota to Josh Huff with 44 seconds left in the half.

Texas has to do a better job containing Mariota, who has blistered them for 132 yards on 12 carries.

McCoy has completed 5 of 12 passes for 31 yards, but has been victimized by several drops, including three by his tight end Geoff Swaim.

The Ducks will receive the ball to start the second half. The Texas defense couldn’t have a better time for a stop than on that first possession.

It will be interesting to see if Jackson Jeffcoat is back in Texas’ lineup to start the second half. Jeffcoat hobbled off the field late in the first half on the Oregon scoring drive with what appeared to be leg cramps.

]]>Brown explains potential move of Overstreet to slot receiverhttps://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/2013/06/brown-explains-potential-move-of-overstreet-to-slot-receiver/
Mon, 03 Jun 2013 23:11:06 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/?p=1521Redshirt freshman quarterback Jalen Overstreet will get a look at slot receiver during fall camp as the Longhorns explore ways to get him more involved offensively.

“He showed flashes of things this spring and especially in the spring game where he can make a difference with the ball in his hands,” Texas coach Mack Brown said. “He’s a 4.4-type guy who weighs 215 pounds. We’re look at different ways to get him ball offensively.”

The Longhorns aren’t prepared to move him from quarterback where Tyrone Swoopes and Connor Brewer will share snaps as Colt McCoy spends his summer on a mission in Peru.

But Brown hinted that Overstreet’s potential to be an effective offensive player would jump at receiver.

“He’s still staying in tune with the quarterbacks, but we also feel he wants to play and this is a to get him on the field,” Brown said. “We think Jalen is the type of youjng man who can do same type things that (sophomore wide receiver) Daje (Johnson) is doing where he can run the speed sweeps, catch the ball out of the backfield and run routes as a wide receiver but he could still play some tailback and make some plays in the backfield as well.”

Brown also said that sophomore cornerback Duke Thomas will also be tried at offense at a similar slot receiver back position.

“We feel the need on playing him on both sides of the ball,” Brown said. “We’ll have a package for him on offense in that slot position that Daje’s been playing. He won’t move back to the backfield because he’s not a running back, but we also feel like we we need him at defensive back. He’s really as good player, he’s smart and we’d like to use him where he’s needed.”

]]>Ole Miss DB suspended by SEC for Saturday’s gamehttps://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/2012/09/ole-miss-db-suspended-by-sec-for-saturdays-game/
Tue, 11 Sep 2012 17:12:57 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/?p=1162Mississippi freshman safety Trae Elston will miss the Rebels’ upcoming game Saturday against Texas after he was suspended for one game by the SEC.

Elston was suspended by the conference for what it deemed “a flagrant and dangerous act” late in the fourth quarter of the Rebels’ 28-10 victory over UTEP last week.

It came after his helmet-to-helmet hit on UTEP wide receiver Jordan Leslie. Elston was not penalized on the play.

Here’s what the conference had to say about Elston’s play:

The action is in violation of Rule 9-1-4 of the NCAA Football Rule Book, which reads, “No player shall target and initiate contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent with the helmet, forearm, elbow or shoulder,” and Rule 9-1-3 which states, “No player shall target and initiate contact against an opponent with the crown (top) of his helmet.”

This action is taken in accordance with Southeastern Conference Constitution, Article 4.4.2 (d) which states that a student-athlete may be suspended if it is determined that the student-athlete has committed a flagrant or unsportsmanlike act.

But did he really deserve a suspension? You be the judge and let us know your thoughts.

]]>Methodical UT running game icing victoryhttps://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/2012/09/methodical-ut-running-game-icing-victory/
https://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/2012/09/methodical-ut-running-game-icing-victory/#commentsSun, 02 Sep 2012 02:30:30 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/?p=1135AUSTIN — Texas has been aiming to be a bruising running team for the last several seasons.

It looks like Bryan Harsin’s attack is having the desired effect as the Longhorns have taken control with a 31-9 lead over Wyoming after three quarters.

The Longhorns went 77 yards on a 17-play drive that consummed nearly 8 minutes. The massive drive was capped by a fourth-down 1-yard TD plunge by Malcolm Brown for the only scoring in the third quarter.

Brown has rushed for a game-high 93 yards on 10 carries to lead the Longhorns’ varied rushing attack.

The former Steele standout became the third different Texas back to score as Joe Bergeron and D.J. Monroe both have scored earlier in the game.

The Longhorns have scored on four straight possessions and five out of their last seven to take control of a game they trailed after the first quarter.

David Ash has played the entire game so far. He hasn’t been particularly splashy, but still has played strongly enough to help the Horns to the grinding victory.

The Longhorns turned to two Wyoming turnovers into touchdowns to claim the lead after trailing 9-7 after one quarter.

The biggest reason for the turnaround has been the UT defense. After they were gashed for 178 yards in the first quarter, Texas rebounded to limit the Cowboys to 26 yards on 11 snaps in the second quarter.

Interceptions by Kenny Vaccaro and Carrington Byndom were converted into touchdowns.

Ash has been efficient in the first half, but hasn’t been called on to make a lot of tough throws. He’s completed 13 of 17 attempts for 195 yards.

The ballyhooed three-headed monster the Longhorns have in the backfield has been productive, combining for 105 yards on 17 carries. Malcolm Brown has rushed for a game-high 82 yards on seven carries, Joe Bergeron has 21 yards on nine totes and freshman Johnathan Gray added two yards on his only carry.

Vaccaro’s pick was turned into a 16-yard strike from Ash to Jaxon Shipley five plays later. D.J. Monroe’s gritty 7-yard TD run out of the Wildcat formation was Texas’ final first-half TD.

Nick Jordan’s 31-yard field goal with three seconds left boosted the Longhorns to the 24-9 lead at the break.

With the comfortable lead, look for Mack Brown empty the bench in the second half. He’s largely gone with his starters on both sides of the ball in the first half.

]]>Wyoming jumps to early 9-7 lead after first quarterhttps://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/2012/09/wyoming-jumps-to-early-9-7-lead-after-first-quarter/
Sun, 02 Sep 2012 00:44:12 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/?p=1129AUSTIN — So much for any intimidation factor that Texas might have against Wyoming.

The Cowboys have jumped to an early 9-7 lead after one quarter, dominating a ballyhooed Longhorn defense.

Wyoming quarterback Brett Smith has completed six of his seven passes for 158 yards. Included has been an 82-yard pass to wide receiver Robert Herron that gave the Cowboys the lead.

Texas has produced only 84 yards so far as the Longhorns have relied on their running. David Ash has accounted for 21 yards on four of five passing.

But Wyoming’s defense has looked good, producing two three-and-outs in the Longhorns’ first three possessions.

And no, we don’t see Case McCoy warming up along the sidelines — yet.

]]>Just like ol’ times at DKRhttps://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/2012/09/just-like-ol-times-at-dkr/
Sat, 01 Sep 2012 23:53:27 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/?p=1127Kickoff is still about 20 minutes away. Apparently, most of the fans are still at their tailgate parties as the stadium is half-full at the very best.

The Longhorns are planning a few bells and whistles tonight.

We just saw legendary former UT coach Darrell Royal flashed on the message board. Royal was chillin’ — or about as much as he could with temperatures at nearly 100 degrees — with his wife on a golf cart close to the field.

I saw something else new that I couldn’t remember. The Longhorns flashed a message for the Winstar Casino at the Texas-Oklahoma border. Didn’t know they have an official casino.

Tonight should be interesting for UT quarterback David Ash, who won’t be looking over his shoulder after every play like he has for his previous career here. Don’t be surprised if Case McCoy does get some playing time — maybe in the first half — but Ash should get the majority of it.

Wyoming is an underrated first opponent. The Cowboys were the fifth-most-improved team in college football with an 8-5 record. Former Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen took them to the New Mexico Bowl, where they were smoked by New Mexico.

Christensen has compared his sophomore quarterback Brett Smith to another quarterback he worked with at Missouri, Brad Smith.

Brett Smith passed for 2,622 yards last season and was responsible for 31 touchdowns. But I’m curious how he will throw the ball after off-season surgery on his right thumb.

Only a few hours after Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott announced his conference will remain with 12 teams, Powers said he’s excited about the Big 12’s future.

“We’re absolutely delighted the (Big 12) will stay together,” Powers said. “We’ve been working very hard over the last month to get to this point. We think this is good for the student-athletes, good for competition, good for rivalries, good for travel. We are absolutely delighted.”

Powers said creating stability is important for the conference, which lost Nebraska and Colorado after last season and appears to be on the verge of losing Texas A&M to the Southeastern Conference. One of the most important ways is to come to a consensus about adding future members.

“That’s job one,” Powers said. “When Texas A&M said they were interested in leaving and did announce they would leave to the SEC. We love A&M in the conference and that’s their choice. I think the conference was ready to deal with that. It was getting stability and thinking about what they could do, whether to add a team or not.

“We were in the process of that when Oklahoma and Oklahoma State indicated they were interested in leaving the Big 12, that kind of put all of it on hold. Now with conference going to continue, we’re delighted about that and we need to return to that issue.”

No plans with OU officials are schedule in his future, Powers said.

Powers declined to answer whether Texas’ deal with the Pac-12 was scuttled because of the Longhorn Network or demands by UT for an end to the Pac-12’s complete revenue-sharing plan.

“I’ll just say I do not believe that was a significant issue,” Powers said.

But Powers hinted that structuring upcoming Big 12 media deals could be a way to promote future stability.

“It is important to get stability in the conference,” Powers said. “We will be working with our partners in Big 12 and media partners to structure them to make sure the conference has stability going forward.

“It is true there has been upheaval, but it is also true that in some ways, the conference was strong enough to survive the upheaval . We don’t want upheaval on a periodic basis. Getting stability will be important. But it not for us (UT) to decide, but for the conference together to work out ways of having confidence and stability as we move forward.”

Revenue sharing has been promoted as a way to promote the Big 12’s cohesion in the future. Powers said Texas is open to considering such a plan.

“A lot of issues you hear about in the paper, like revenue sharing, we’ve been working on long before this,” Powers said. “I’m not going to prejudge how it will come out. There aren’t any preconditions for the conference coming together. The important thing is to come back together and move back forward on all the issue of conference.”

The Texas president had no specific plans about expansion, saying he wasn’t sure “if it’s the chicken or the egg” in settling the Big 12’s future.

“Those issues are for the conference to look at,” Powers said. “We’ll work with the conference to answer them. We don’t have answers. It’s not for us to give them answers but to have input into them.”

]]>Powers authorized to move ahead with conference switchhttps://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/2011/09/powers-authorized-to-move-ahead-with-conference-switch/
Mon, 19 Sep 2011 22:09:09 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/?p=753Texas president William Powers was authorized by the school’s board of trustees to have full power in exploring conference realignment.

The UT board emerged from executive session a few minutes after the Oklahoma board of trustees gave OU president David Boren a similar directive.

But interestingly, the Austin American-Statesman reports that Powers didn’t stay around to explain that answer. He ducked into a side elevator and scampered away from the scrum of reporters at the end of the meeting before answering any questions.

Compare that to Boren, who was expansive as he talked with Oklahoma reporters after the meeting for several minutes.

That leads me to believe that Boren is confident in his decision of moving forward with realignment and OU’s role in it.

And Powers, likely, isn’t that far along the road to leaving the Big 12.

]]>Brown wants Longhorns to stay in the Big 12https://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/2011/09/brown-wants-longhorns-to-stay-in-the-big-12/
Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:27:25 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/longhorns/?p=750The Big 12’s future doesn’t look bright, but Texas coach Mack Brown still would like for the Longhorns to remain in the embattled conference.

“”I think the University of Texas wants to stay in the Big 12,” Brown said. “I want us to stay in the Big 12 because its about our players and our players’ parents — they have a better chance to see them play if we’re in a regional conference.

“Our high school coaches have a better chance to see them play. That’s where my concern would be. I know Texas would love to see the Big 12 stay together.”

With UT and Oklahoma board of regents meeting Monday on conference affiliation questions and Oklahoma State’s discussing a similar topic on Wednesday, it doesn’t appear that the Big 12’s future of staying together in its current 10-team affiliation is bright. Texas A&M has already been accepted to the Southeastern Conference.

UT could go in several different ways — as a member of the Pac-12, the Atlantic Coast or an independent as well as remaining in the Big 12.

“There’s a lot of people smarter than I am spending more time on realignment than myself,” Brown said. “And I’m sure they’ll get it worked out. But I just hope in the long run, the fans, the high school players and the high school coaches are a huge consideration in this thing because we’d be in trouble without any of the three.”